Fowling outing

On Friday, February 21, some brave souls from Good Shepherd went to go fowling at the HUB Stadium in Novi.  The object is to knock down the pins by throwing a football at them.  You get as many turns as it takes.  When you get down to one pin still standing, it requires some accuracy or dumb luck to get it down.  We experienced both.  

Divine Call received

On Sunday, November 19, I received a Divine Call to serve at Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wautoma, Wisconsin.  Below are letters I composed.  The first is a letter of acknowledgement which was sent to Peace in Wautoma and was read at Good Shepherd on Sunday, November 26.  Below that is a letter sent to the members of Good Shepherd to explain what receiving a Divine Call means and what it does not.  

Comments, words of insight, and prayers are welcome. 

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Greetings in the name of our Savior.

Dear members of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church,

I am writing to acknowledge that on Sunday, November 19, I received a Divine Call to serve as your pastor.  I thank you that you have considered me for this high privilege.

For the past 27 years, I have had the privilege of serving at Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in Novi, Michigan (metro Detroit).  Over the next few weeks, I will be considering the challenges and possibilities of each congregation, as well as my own strengths and weaknesses, so that I may determine, to the best of my ability, where I may serve the Lord’s kingdom best.

My wife, Laura, our family, and I welcome your prayers and your insights.

My contact information is:
Cell phone (call or text)       (248) 719-5218

Email                                      welsnovi@aol.com

Mailing address:                  41441 W. 9 Mile Road
                                                Novi, Michigan 48375-4306

God bless and keep you.

In Christ,

Pastor Thomas E. Schroeder

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Greetings in the name of our Savior.

On Sunday, November 19, I received a Divine Call to serve at Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wautoma, Wisconsin (about 90 miles north of Madison). 

The last time I held a call to another congregation was back in 2008.  Since it has been over 15 years since Good Shepherd has experienced its pastor deliberating a call to another congregation, I thought it would be worthwhile to alert you to the calling process, what it means, and what it does not mean.

The calling process:  In our synod, district presidents (similar to bishops) will assemble a list of candidates at the request of a congregation who is seeking a pastor, perhaps because the pastor from that congregation retired, died, resigned, or accepted a call elsewhere.  He presents the vacant congregation with a list of pastors who are eligible to receive and consider a call to that congregation.  The congregation does not go hunting for their own pastor or put out feelers for applicants.  We draw from within our own synod so that the doctrine and practice remain confessionally Lutheran.  Of the people on the list of potential pastors, Peace Lutheran Church in Wautoma selected me.

When a call is extended, the Holy Spirit works through a congregation to find a man who will serve them.  The call that Good Shepherd has extended to me has not been terminated; the call to Peace has been added.  Therefore, I am currently holding calls to two places where I may serve as a pastor—Good Shepherd in Novi and Peace in Wautoma.  The Holy Spirit is allowing me to decide where I can serve his church.  While neither decision would be sinful, I pray that the Lord makes it clear which decision serves his kingdom best.

What it does not mean: It does not mean that I have to move.  These are not marching orders.  It does not mean that I am looking for reasons to leave or that I am unhappy serving where I am.  I did not submit my name to be considered for the call list for Peace Lutheran Church or for any other list.  For all I know, my name has been on several lists over the past few years but was never selected.  There are currently about 190 pastoral vacancies across our synod, so the fact that a congregation called me was practically inevitable.  For what it is worth, Peace Lutheran Church in Wautoma has been without a pastor for just over a year, and a retired pastor is covering the services there.

What it does mean: Over the next few weeks, I will be communicating with people from Wautoma as well as from our congregation and others in the area to determine where I might best serve in God’s kingdom.  I welcome your prayers and your thoughts.  If you have questions about the calling process, I will gladly answer them for you.  

I don’t have a deadline right now for when I would announce a decision.  Usually, decisions are formed in about a month’s time (enabling me to assess challenges and possibilities in both locations, as well as how my own strengths and weaknesses come into play), but that puts us right up to Christmas which might affect that timing.  I will not let any announcement detract from the Christmas celebration.  Our focus should be on the Christ child, not on me.

I should also note that, as I deliberate, I will be making comments which may sound like I am staying or that I am going.  Please don’t draw any conclusions by those comments.  It is just part of how I deliberate as I consider plans as if I were going and as if I were staying. 

Once again, I welcome your insights and your prayers.

God bless and keep you.

In Christ,

Pastor Schroeder

Our Good Shepherd gives peace

Here is a video to introduce people to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Novi.  Feel free to share it as much as you can.  

Shout out to Kaitlyn Cole for her work on its production!

Pastors' Conference, Spring 2022

On April 26-27, the pastors of the Southeast Conference of the Michigan District met at Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in Novi, Michigan for worship, fellowship, and professional development.  

The members of Good Shepherd did a fantastic job providing food, beverages, and snacks.  Well done, dear friends!

Church Outing -- Axe Throwing

This past Saturday, several brave, adventurous souls went to BATL Axe Throwing in Novi.  Whether motivated by aggression or competition, all enjoyed the outing.  Sadly, I was under the weather and had to miss it.  I was more focused on being ready for Sunday morning.

Congrats to Bob W. who ended the evening with highest marks.  Here are some photos.

City of Novi: The Watertower

Below is s video about the City of Novi's watertower.  If you've been here, you've almost certainly seen it.  Nice job, City of Novi!

Intercession for our Leaders

With President-Elect Biden being sworn in as President Biden today, it will be appropriate to include him in our prayers this Sunday.

The prayer of the church will include numerous intercessions and petitions which will also allow the congregation to assent to each one with their, "Hear us, good Lord," "Hear our prayer," and "Amen."

Among the intercessions, we will include prayers for our newly inaugurated president, Joe Biden, the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, the mayor of Novi, Bob Gatt, and all governing officials, we will pray as follows:

M:    Preserve our nation in justice and honor, that we may lead peaceable lives of integrity.  Grant health and favor to all who bear office in our land, especially to President Biden, Governor Whitmer, Bob Gatt the mayor of Novi, and all those who make, administer, and judge our laws, and help them serve all citizens according to your holy will.

Cong:    Hear us, good Lord.

Such prayers are in obedience to the Scriptures which encourage this: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Christians ought to recognize what we pray for and what we do not.  There are some policy positions we would pray fervently against, such as the support and defense of abortion.  In fact, we will pray against that on the very same Sunday.  Such a prayer is not a personal attack on our leaders, but a plea that God would protect and defend the sanctity of life despite the opinions of our leaders--such an opinion that we consider abominable and a blatant sin against the 5th Commandment.  However, we do not seek the death of anyone.  We have been convinced by the Holy Spirit to agree with our God to be obedient to those in authority (Romans 13:1-7), to bless all who would oppose us (Matthew 5:11), and to willing suffer for doing good if we must (1 Peter 3:13-17).  

While we cherish the freedoms we have in our nation, our greatest good is not the kingdom of the United States but the kingdom of God.  If these should come into great conflict with each other, we will stand firm in the kingdom of God and still pray for our nation and its leaders as we have been directed by the King of heaven and earth.

While not everyone will be in agreement with the policies and positions of every politician, all Christians can be in agreement with the specific intercession, "help them serve all citizens according to your holy will."  When wouldn't we pray for that????

Christmastide with the family

We spent our Christmas time in Novi and in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  Our time in Novi was especially nice because we managed to have all of the children home for a number of days, although jobs took a few people away for a while.  Getting everyone together in one place is becoming harder and harder to do, and I know it will only get more challenging as time goes by.

The trip to Sheboygan was a little different as my dad was in rehab.  We got to visit him there for 25 minutes as he sat behind plexiglass and we talked over the phone.  I'm glad we got to do that much.  Thankfully, he has been released as is back at home.  Unfortunately, we had left and could not be part of the welcoming crew.

We (my brother, Paul, Laura, and I) managed to do a bit of shoveling for my parents.  On the way home, we stopped at the Mars Cheese Castle near one of the Kenosha exits.  Nathanael said it exceeded his expectations.  We were pretty sure it would.

Here are some photos.

City of Novi Bench program

So this happened this week, and somehow I never noticed them working on it.  

The City of Novi had told us that they were going to put a bench on a concrete slab along the path on Meadowbrook Road.  Now they have.  It looks really nice, and we are hoping to put a Little Library right next to it.  I did not sit on it yet, so no report on how comfortable it is.

Well done, City of Novi.  It looks great.

The Bell Tower is coming in for a landing!

It has been a long, arduous task to get our bell tower in place, but it finally is happening today!  I think the first plans to put a bell tower up were first proposed about ten years ago.  Money was started

Alice Laho

in a special fund, and a few more dollars trickled in over the years from various memorials.  Finally, a sizable memorial came through the estate of Alice Laho.  The remaining money needed (which I think ended up being the majority of the money after all expenses were counted up) came from Alice's estate.  Then came architectural renderings from Dan Schneider.  They were presented, tweaked, referred to another source, and approved by the Church Council.  Then we submitted the drawings to the city of Novi who wanted a wind load study done.  Then things were tweaked again.  Then Kendra Fecho set us up with steel workers who would lay the footings and cast the bell tower.  David Rumics arranged to get the bell sand blasted and to receive a fresh black coating (spring/summer 2019).  Finally, the city of Novi approved our design (October 2019), at which point in time the design had been removed long enough from the architect that we had to re-check on the price.  The permit was posted.  The footings were poured in November just before 8 inches of snow dropped.  The bell was taken away just before Christmas to be fitted to the tower.  (Did I mention the task was long and arduous?)  My recollection of this may be off a little, but I don't think there is any degree of exaggeration in it.

Well, today, the bell tower has been delivered and mounted.  We still need to order a plaque for its dedication (in memory of Alice Laho) and it still needs to be painted (likely in April).  But, here are some photos to show the excitement for the day.

The history of Novi -- How Novi became a city

Novi celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.  Below is a video about how Novi Township became the city of Novi in 1969.

City of Novi -- 50th Anniversary: Police and Fire Departments

Here is another video from Novi's 50th Anniversary.  This one features the history of the Novi Police Department and Fire Department.  Novi's first responders are such a blessing to the city.  We often see the Novi Police parking in our parking lot, either logging official business or taking a break.  (I have never bothered them to learn what they are actually doing.)

Enjoy the history lesson.

Things that make me go, HMMMMMMM... and the city of Novi

Novi is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the city has been putting out YouTube videos about the history of the city.  This month's installment has to do with the Novi Expo Center (now a vacant lot, but being developed for something new) and the Suburban Collection Showplace.

If you are driving into Novi from the west on I-96, you will notice a large water town with the word "Adell" on it.  It always made me go HMMMMM, wondering who or what Adell was.  The video below references (not much, but it does) Frank Adell, who was involved with the Novi Expo Center.  Mystery solved.

It also shows how Novi has grown.  Back when the Novi Expo Center had only one entry off of Novi Road, the traffic on weekends was horrendous.  It was best to avoid Novi Road and Grand River at all costs.  Traffic on Novi Road is a lot happier on weekends now that they have two different directions of entry into the Suburban Collection Showplace.

You can watch the video about the Novi Expo Center and the Suburban Collection Showplace here.

History of Novi -- Parks & Recreation

For the 50th anniversary of the city of Novi, a number of videos have been put together. 


Here is a neat one on the Novi Parks & Recreation history.


Enjoy!

The history of Novi -- Twelve Oaks Mall & How Novi got its name

Here is something cool about the history of the city of Novi.  Novi celebrates 50 years as a city, but the history goes back much further.

There are a number of videos which tell the history of Novi, and I will link to two vignettes.  The first is about the history of the Twelve Oaks Mall, and how it transformed the city of Novi to the community it is today.

The second is probably the most legendary about the city: How did Novi get its name?  This interesting video ends up not giving the answer, but all the most popular theories are given.

Local Tourist -- Photos of Autumn

One of the blogs I frequent (Rev. Larry Beane, a.k.a., Father Hollywood) made mention some time ago about being a tourist in your own home town.  The idea is that you are so accustomed to your surroundings that you don't take any time to notice the beauty and places of interest that are in your own back yard.  So, be a tourist and take a look around!

That prompted me to think of ways of being a local tourist.  From time to time, I hope to visit and take photos of places and activities in the area that are normally just a part of the scenery.  But you know what?  They are scenery.  They are there to be seen and enjoyed.

Here's the first batch of such photos -- Autumn in Novi and Northville.  Enjoy!